UAV Factory Penguin C

Long-Endurance, Long-Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

United States | 2012

"The UAV Factory Penguin C long-range Unmanned Aircraft System is built upon the successful framework of the earlier Penguin B model."

Image from official UAV Factory marketing material.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the UAV Factory Penguin C Long-Endurance, Long-Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

1 x EFI 28cc. engine driving a two-bladed propeller in pusher configuration.
Propulsion

50 mph
80 kph | 43 kts
Max Speed

14,764 ft
4,500 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling

62 miles
100 km | 54 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the UAV Factory Penguin C Long-Endurance, Long-Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

7.5 ft
2.30 m
O/A Length

10.8 ft
(3.30 m)
O/A Width

7.4 ft
(2.25 m)
O/A Height

49 lb
(22 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the UAV Factory Penguin C Long-Endurance, Long-Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) .

None. Optics and sensor payloads supported (IR sensor, laser rangefinder, laser illuminator).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the UAV Factory Penguin C family line.

Penguin C - Base Series Designation.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/05/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - or Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) - has a found a home in various markets across the globe today: military, security, law enforcement, research, humanitarian, etc... UAV Factory produces a line of capable UAS platforms known as "Penguin" which include the earlier Penguin B and the current-generation Penguin C. The latter has been designed with long-range/long-endurance in mind and can cover up to 20 hours flight time out to a range of 100 kilometers. It is considered a "small" UAV by FAA regulations (due to its 55lb weight class) and intended for professional use only. The C-model has already recorded some 4,000 hours in the air under various environmental conditions.

The Penguin C is built upon the established (and proven) record-setting framework of the earlier Penguin B model series which has gone on to see widespread global service with dozens of operators. The B-model managed a 54.5 hour world record flight back in 2012.

The Penguin C is a complete system comprised of three Penguin C air vehicles, a Ground Control Station (GCS), and a catapult launcher. All are all relatively easily portable in the back of a transport van or truck for the complete kit and all of its associated components weigh a combined 585lb.

The air vehicle component relies on the low-cost catapult launching (fully-autonomous) and is managed by a crew of two through a GCS. Recovery of the air vehicle is by way of parachute. As such, the Penguin C does not require any length of prepared runway to function which keeps operating costs and requirements low. For recovery, the aircraft carries a built-in estimation algorithm which signals the release of the parachute based on the intended landing point for pin-point accuracy. Setup time for launching one of the vehicles is just under an hour.

The air vehicle itself is of a sleek, aerodynamically-refined design with high-mounted, straight wing mainplanes fitted. The tail unit has inward-canted vertical planes supported by slim tail booms emanating from the wing mainplane trailing edges. The engine fit sits at the rear of the fuselage with the optics set held in a trainable blister in the belly/chin position.

Power to the UAV is from an in-house UAV28-EFI Turnkey Fuel-Injected Engine (FIE) that has been designed as a completely replaceable module - allowing the unit to be completely (and quickly) removed to undergo maintenance or repair while a replacement engine is dropped in its place - this allows the UAV to remain online with as little downtime as possible. The powerplant is used to drive a two-bladed propelled in "pusher" configuration at the rear of the fuselage. The engine features a 100w onboard generator unit, cold weather starting capabilities, and low-noise features (a silent muffler being fitted).

The aircraft is capable of carrying various gyro-stabilized optics sets to fulfill a broad range of mission types in any weather circumstance and in daytime or low-light hours. The payload section also extends support for 3rd Party products. Data transmissions are encrypted for security-in-communications and the aircraft can reach up to 10,000 feet of altitude, making the UAS silent to any unsuspecting targets on the ground. This inherent and powerful flexibility makes the Penguin C capable of undertaking roles related to search, tracking, observation, general surveillance, observation, and aerial inspection.

The Penguin C is currently (2018) and actively marketed by UAV Factory as a cost-effective, do-everthing UAS solution.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

July 2022 - The U.S. Army has committed to the Penguin series UAV.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the UAV Factory Penguin C. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 100 Units
Contractor(s): UAV Factory - USA